By Tiernan Ray

Following Apple‘s (AAPL) report this afternoon of iPhone shipments in its fiscal Q1 ended in December of 51 million, several million fewer than the Street expected, a couple of research shops were out with their estimates for the quarter’s market share for Apple and other vendors.

Strategy Analytics esitmates the entire market rose by 33.7% in Q4 to 290 million units shipped, with full-year shipments reaching a record 990 million units. Full-year growth was 41%, down from 43% a year earlier.

Apple’s global share in Q4 was 17.6%, down from 22%, and giving the company second place behind Samsung Electronics (005930KS), Strategy Analytics estimates. Samsung had 29.6% market share in the quarter, up slightly from 29% in the same quarter a year earlier, on shipments of perhaps 86 million units.

Here’s the firm’s table of results:

In third place, China‘s Huawei, which is employee-owned, shipped what Strategy Analytics estimates at 16.6 million units, for 5.7% market share, up slightly from 5% a year earlier. Lenovo (0992HK) came in at 4th place, with 4.7% share on sales of 13.6 million units in the quarter, up from 3.4% a year earlier, while LG Electronics (066570KS) had perhaps 4.5% share on sales of 13.2 million units, up from 4% a year earlier.

Analysts with Strategy Analytics opined that Apple continued to suffer from competition in lower-priced phones, but that both Apple and Samsung are seeing heightened competition from Huawei and others:

Samsung shipped a record 319.8 million smartphones worldwide and captured 32 percent marketshare in 2013. This was the largest number of units ever shipped by a smartphone vendor in a single year. Despite tough competition from a long tail of Chinese and American brands, Samsung continued to deliver numerous hit models, such as the Galaxy S4 and Note 3. Apple grew a sluggish 13 percent annually and shipped 153.4 million smartphones worldwide for 15 percent marketshare in 2013, dipping from the 19 percent level recorded in 2012. Apple remains strong in the high-end smartphone segment, but a lack of presence in the low-end category is costing it lost volumes in fast-growing emerging markets such as India [...] Samsung and Apple together accounted for almost half of all smartphones shipped worldwide in 2013. Large marketing budgets, extensive distribution channels and attractive product portfolios have enabled Samsung and Apple to maintain their grip on the smartphone industry. However, there is clearly now more competition coming from the second-tier smartphone brands. Huawei, LG and Lenovo each grew their smartphone shipments around two times faster than the global industry average and captured a combined 14 percent marketshare. Huawei is expanding swiftly in Europe, while LG’s Optimus range is proving popular in Latin America, and Lenovo’s Android models are selling at competitive price-points across China. Samsung and Apple will need to fight hard to hold off these and other hungry challengers during 2014.

Research firm IDC also offered its outlook this evening. The firm counted slightly fewer units than Strategy Analytics, at 284.4 million, during the quarter, for only 24% growth, year over year.

The company assigns Samsung 28.8% share in Q4, down from 29.1% share a year earlier, based on shipments of perhaps 82 million units. Apple had 17.9% share, the firm says, down from 20.9% a year earlier. Huawei was also in third place in IDC’s numbers, with 16.4 million units, and 5.8% market share, up from 4.6% share a year earlier. Lenovo was again in fourth place here, with 13.9 million units and 4.9% share, up from 4.1% a year earlier, while LG sold perhaps 13.2 million smartphones, for 4.6% share, up from 3.8% a year earlier.

Samsung ended the quarter the same way it began the year: as the clear leader in worldwide smartphone shipments. But even with sustained demand for its Galaxy S III, S4, and Note models, as well as its deep selection of mid-range and entry-level models, the company realized a decline compared to the previous quarter. Nevertheless, the company maintained a sizable double-digit lead over the next vendor.

Apple had “the lowest year-on-year increase of all the leading vendors,” notes IDC. “Now that Apple has finally arrived at China Mobile, it remains to be seen how much Apple will close the gap against Samsung in 2014.”

Huawei, by contrast, had the “highest year-on-year increase among the leading vendors.”

As for LG, it “finished just behind Lenovo and edged out ZTE (0763HK) for the number five position, with just five million units separating the two companies,” says IDC. LG’s “year-on-year improvement put the company on par with Huawei and Lenovo with market beating growth. LG’s success can be directly attributed to its revived portfolio from a year ago, which featured more large-screen and high-end models, including the Nexus 5 and its Optimus G series.”

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There are 4 comments

JANUARY 27, 2014 7:01 P.M.

manonroad wrote:

isnt that wonderful, right after apple reports 51 mils iphones sales, then we have the exact 51 mils an hour later on this report.

JANUARY 27, 2014 7:17 P.M.

Peter Gittlin wrote:

For the last few years Apple has let an enormous opportunity slip away with their lack of introducing larger screen iPhones and not having an offering in a lower priced tier. Every other Smartphone company has been able to introduce a larger phone except for Apple. Blame Tim Cook on the slowdown in iPhone sales. Also introduce a new product already or let investors know it's coming and revenue growth will reaccelerate. It's very frustrating for investors.

JANUARY 27, 2014 7:26 P.M.

manonroad wrote:

@Gittlin, I think apple may also worries a bigger-screen iphone can hurt sales of 7-inch ipad. With the 5S I have now, its hard to justify buying a mini-ipad. Apple needs some other blockbuster products, just to say.

About Tech Trader Daily

Tech Trader Daily is a blog on technology investing written by Barron’s veteran Tiernan Ray. The blog provides news, analysis and original reporting on events important to investors in software, hardware, the Internet, telecommunications and related fields. Comments and tips can be sent to: techtraderdaily@barrons.com.